Paul M. Swaffield ’16 spent more than thirty years
watching some of the best football games in the East while earning
a reputation as one of the finest collegiate football officials of
all time. He once estimated that he worked 300-plus games between
1922 and 1952, including Army-Navy, Yale-Harvard, and Boston
College-Holy Cross. At the Army-Navy game in 1950, referee
Swaffield walked the two captains to the presidential box, where
President Harry Truman tossed the coin. The President also handed
Swaffield a silver dollar that day. This was an ironic twist in
that Swaffield had for many years made a practice of giving a
silver dollar to the captain who won the toss of the coin.
Swaffield worked a number of games as an Eastern representative and
drew New Year’s Day Assignments at both the Orange Bowl and
the Cotton Bowl. Although he was generally recognized as one of the
most competent officials in the nation, Swaffield refused to work
in the National Football League. At the same time, he insisted that
he be allowed to work one high school game a year, “just to
keep in touch with the youngsters.” After his retirement in
1952, Paul served as an observer of the Eastern Intercollegiate
Football Association. He was also president of the Eastern Football
Officials. Paul was the first recipient of the George Carens Award
for contributions to New England athletics. He was in great demand
as a public speaker both before and after his retirement in 1959 as
manager of advertising for B.F. Goodrich Footwear and Flooring
Company in Boston. Paul died in Alton, N.H., on April 20,
1964.